Felt shrinking



April 14, 1925. 1,533,346

- H. A. EN EST FELT simmxme Filed June 25, 1921 In venzar Harr er/1 Genesz.

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Patented Apr. 14, 1 925.

UNITE STATES HOMER A. GE NEST, OF HARTFORD, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- 'MEN'IS, T UNITED STATES HAT MACHINERY CORPORATION, OF RICHMOND, VIR- GINIA, A CORPORATION OF VIRGINIA.

rEL'r snnmxme.

Application filed June 25, 1921.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HOMER A. GENEsr,

a citizen of the United States, residing in Hartford, in the county of Hartford and 6 State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Felt Shrinking, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates principally to the shrinking stage in manufacturing hats or other felt articles.

It is usual to blow the loose fur fibres upon a perforated cone, forming a bat, which is immediately immersed in hot water, thus beginning the shrinking operation and matting and strengthening the bat, which is then usually shrunken by tediously manipulating it in various ways while wet with hot water. This manipulation can be performed only slowly and only by highly skilled artisans, and there is considerable waste of fur.

One of the main objects of the invention is to overcome these objections and shrink the bat expeditiously, by means of operations which can be performed quickly by a lower grade of labor.

In place of the usual kneading process heretofore employed, consisting in repeatedly rolling up 'thebat in a burlap blanket, and subjecting it to, manipulation, and also to the action of pressure rolls, I have contrived to shrink the bat by an improved difi'erent method, employing an elastic pad, preferably perforated and preferably in the form of sponge hrubber, which is placed upon the bat while the latter is wet with hot water, and this pad is stirred or moved slightly to and fro rapidly while pressed upon the bat, so that the latter, by means of the kneading action so set up, is caused to shrink. As the shrinking proceeds, the kneading strokes are lengthened, and the pressure of the .pad upon the bat is increased.

I have found that by applying such an elastic medium to the bat, and vibrating this medium to and fro to a very slight extent, the fur shrinks very rapidly; and if the soft-rubber sheet is made in the form of spongerubber with holes,,it felts even more rapidly.

Serial No. 480,284.

Sponge rubber is highly eificient for this purpose, partly because the rubber, being filled with fine openings, has good effect in locally kneading the bat, and partly because the hot water is repeatedly sucked up by the sponge-rubber pad and forced out again, thereby favoring the kneading action, and also augmenting the effect of the hot water itself upon the bat.

In order to give the pad the aforesaid movements, it may be mounted upon the under side of a board or support, and means may be used to stir or move the device to and fro upon the bat. One of the features of the invention is the provision of power-driven mechanism for this purpose; the board being connected preferably by a pitman to a revolving crank wrist or other power device, whereby minute reciprocations are given to the board and the sponge-rubber pad thereon; provision being made for increasing the length of the stroke as required during the progress of the shrinking. This mechanical operation of the shrinking pad is not limited, however, to the use of sponge or other perforated rubber.

Another feature which may be employed to advantage has reference ot the bed upon which the bat to be shrunken is placed; this bed being improved bv the use of rifiies extending thereon transversely to the dinpction of reciprocation of the rubber P inafter appear.

In the accompanying drawin Figure 1 is an elevation, ilfii strating a bat as it appears. after having been removed from the forming cone and immersed in hot water.

Fig. 2 is; an edge view of the same.

Figure 3fl shows the bat placed upon an improved bed provided with kneading rifles. 4

Figure 4 is an edge view of the device as seen at Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a side elevation of the preferred form of apparatus, showing the bat being shrunken therein.

- Figure 6 shows by comparision with Fi ure 3 that the bat has been considerabfi' Other features and advantages will here ;for shrinking felt in other forms and for other purposes.

The bat is laid upon a bed 11, which may be of metal or wood, and which preferably is soft vulcanized rubber, secured upon a tablet 12. The surface of the bed 11 is formed of rifles 13 of any suitable shape, the lines of the rifles preferably extending transversely. This bed may be secured upon an inclined base 14, and hot water may be supplied through a transverse perforated pipe 15, from which the water falls at 16 upon the upper portion of the bed and flows down over the rifles and wets the bat 10 resting thereon; the smaller end of the bat geilng usually placed at the upper end of the Upon this bet is pressed a pad 17 in the form of a block of sponge rubber, whose area is larger than that of the bat and may approximate that of the bed 11. Said pad 17 is secured to the under side of a board or support 18, which is moved from left to right at Figure 5 for kneading the bat upon which it rests. The operation of stirring or slid ing the board may be performed by handles 19. However, all or nearly all of the kneading may be done by power, there being provided for this purpose a power-driven shaft 20 carrying a crank wrist 21, to which is pivoted one end of a pitman 22, the other end being pivoted at 23 to a bracket 24 secured upon the board 18. The connection of the pitman 22 to the shaft 20 is such as to permit regulation of the length of stroke of the board 18. To this end the crank pin or wrist 21 is adjustable along a radial slot 25 formed in a head 26, secured upon the power-shaft 20; the wrist after adjustment being secured by a nut 27 in a well-known manner. 7

The battobe shrunken is laid upon the bed 11, and the pad 17 is swung down'upon it, the lowering and lifting of the pad being permitted by reason of the hinging of the same to the itman 22, which may swing up about the wrist 21. The hot water 16 is then caused to flow from the top to the bottom of the bed 11, and a portion of it is taken up by the spon e rubber 17: and the water also permeates t e bat 10. The power-shaft 20 is then revolved, and at first,'while the bat is still weak, minute to-and-fro motions imparted to the pad 17, which, because of the hot water, and the kneading action of the sponge rubber, and also the suction and discharge of the hot water therefrom, is rapidly shrunken, this process being favored by the construction of the bed with rifles, which co-operate with the sponge-rubber pad to produce bendings or flexions in the bat throughout the area of the same, whereby vermicular or shrinking movements of the fibres of the fur arepromoted. This result is enhanced by forming the bed 11 of soft rubber, sincethis tends to increase the flexions of the bat. and hence to increase the individual motions of the fibres of the fur, which may advance in one direction only because of the resistance of minute barbs thereon, which prevent retrograde movements, so that the fibres tend to creep closer and closer together. The length of the vibratory movements may be increased as the bat shrinks and hardens, and the pad may be caused to slide on the bat. From time to time during the shrinking, the pad 17 and board 18 are lifted, and the bat is opened, and then refiattened or folded with the foldlines 28 in different places, to avoid matting together of the layers of the bat at these folds or creases. In a very short time as compared with the usual process, the bat is reduced to the required size. The shrinking at Figure 5 will take place mainly from left to right or longitudinally of the bed 11; but if it is desired for the bat the shrink in another direction, it is only necessary to lift the bat off the bed and replace it in a different angular position thereon, so that the shrinking may take place in a different direction. Thus the bat may be not only shrunken but may also be given the desired proportions.

At Figure 8 the bed is in the form of a revolving cone 29, provided throughout with rifles 30. This cone may be made of soft rubber or other material, and may be caused to revolve in a direction transverse to the lines of the rifles 30. The bat 10 thereon is open, and is kneaded by means of a conical roll 31 of vulcanized perforated or sponge rubber mounted upon aninclined powershaft 32; the hot water being supplied in any suitable manner. The effect of rolling the tapering sponge-roll upon'the bat 10 at the roll 31, thus giving the material of the,

bat a continuous undulatory action. This Figure 8 corresponds with that obtained by wavy movement is favored by making the riflies of soft vulcanized rubber.

Variations may be resorted to within the scope of the invention, and portions of the improvements may be used without others. 1 Having thus described my invention, I

claim 1. A-felt-shrinking apparatus comprising a bed for a bat in a substantially flattened condition; a padof sponge rubber and means to move it slightly to and fro upon said bat. v

2. The combination of a soft-rubber bed, and a support provided with a sponge-rubber pad, whereby to knead a bat lying on said bed in a substantially flat condition.

3. A shrinking apparatus comprising an inclined bed provided with rifiles and acla ted to receive a bat in a substantially at condition; means to supply hot water to the upper end of the bat resting upon said bed,

' a sponge-rubber pad to press the bat against the bed, a support for said pad, and means for securing relative to-and-fro movement to enable the rubber to knead the bat, said pad and support being mounted to be liftable from-the bat.

4. The combination of a support, a sponge-rubber pad on the under side thereof, a bed upon which to place the bat to be shrunken in a substantially flat condition, a power-driven shaft, and a pitman connecting said power-driven shaft to the support to move the latter to and fro, and also to permit raising of the support and pad from the bat, said pitman being connected to said shaft by-a wrist which is adjustable to regulate the length of stroke of said support and pad.

5. The process of shrinking a felt hat by kneading the same in a substantially flat condition with sponge rubber wet with hot water.

6. The process of shrinking a. fur bat, comprising pressing a sponge-rubber pad thereon while the bat in a substantially flat condition is wet with scalding water, applying to-and-fro movements to the sponge-rubber pad insuflicient to slide the bat, and, as the shrinking proceeds, increasing the pressure and also increasin the movement of the sponge rubber, so t at it slides slightly to and fro upon the bat.

HOMER A. GENEST. Witnesses MARGARET T. DENms, LILLIAN M. Tanox. 

